There has recently been a considerable revival of interest in wood-burning stoves for room heating and also for space heating eg. with a built in water jacket to heat central heating radiators. But wood is not always available or may not be available at an appropriate price and it is usual to provide a grate so that the stove can also burn coal. But this is not a complete solution because a stove that is specifically designed to burn wood efficiently will not burn coal with equal efficiency because a different flow pattern of primary combustion air is required. Thus when burning wood it is desirable that the primary air should pass over the firebed and not through it, and a heat-retaining layer of ash may be allowed to build up at the base of the firebed. But when burning coal the primary air should pass below the firebed and flow up through it and ash and clinker have to be riddled out at relatively frequent intervals. One object of the invention is to provide a stove that may be switched at will between an efficient wood-burning state and an efficient coal-burning state.
Most current wood burning stoves have a firebed aperture that is closed off by a pair of side pivoted doors which may contain glass so that the firebed can be seen when the doors are closed. Opening of these side pivoted doors when the stove is in use so that radiant heat can escape into the room is unsightly and can be dangerous because it exposes the heated inner surface of the door. It is therefore another object of the invention to provide an improved and inherently safer door construction.